For years, a Bernalillo County jail has been dealing with overcrowding, but the population is the lowest it’s been in a long time.

For years, a Bernalillo County jail has been dealing with overcrowding, but the population is the lowest it’s been in a long time.

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Updated: 10:45 AM MST Feb 21, 2015

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WEBVTT INVESTIGATION. FOR YEARS, THE BERNALILLO COUNTY JAIL HAS BEEN DEALING WITH OVERCROWDING. BUT RIGHT NOW--THE POPULATION IS THE LOWEST IT'S BEEN, IN A VERY LONG TIME. ACTION 7 NEWS REPORTER MEGAN CRUZ EXPLAINS WHY. IT WAS BUILT TO HOUSE ABOUT 22- HUNDRED INMATES. BUT FOR YEARS, THE METROPOLITAN DETENTION CENTER HELD MUCH MORE THAN THAT - CLOSE TO THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE ON ANY GIVEN DAY. SOME OF THEM HAD TO BE SHIPPED TO OTHER FACILITIES, COSTING THE COUNTY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. BUT NOW... 1,635. YOU HEARD RIGHT - THE JAIL'S POPULATION IS JUST ABOVE 16-HUNDRED INMATES. BERNALILLO COUNTY'S DEPUTY PUBLIC SAFETY MANAGER TOM SWISSTACK SAYS GETTING HERE, WASN'T EASY. Because what you have is the justice community communicating. SWISSTACK CREDITS THE DRASTIC DROP TO THE BERNALILLO COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION. IT'S COMPRISED OF PEOPLE FROM THE JAIL, COURTS, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. SWISSTACK SAYS THE GROUP HAS BEEN MEETING MONTHLY FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. FIGURING OUT HOW TO GET THE POPULATION DOWN--AND KEEP IT DOWN. Everyone knows length of stay dictates how big your population gets. BECAUSE OF THEIR WORK... You saw expansions of pre-trial services, you saw us add on an assistant district attorney to help at first appearances, which settles cases quicker. THIS GROUP ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN NEW RULES FOR THE BERNALILLO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THEY'RE DESIGNED TO GET CASES THROUGH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM MORE QUICKLY. SWISSTACK HOPES THAT HELPS IMPROVE THINGS EVEN MORE. We're going to see what affect that has on the jail population also. THOSE NEW RULES FOR GETTING CASES THROUGH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM HAVE LED TO SOME CONTROVERSY, WITH CHARGES BEING DROPPED BECAUSE DEADLINES HAVE BEEN MISSED. SO FAR, THE D-A'S OFFICE SAYS LESS THAN 50 CASES HAVE BEEN DISMISSED. THOSE CHARGES CAN BE REFILED. BACK TO YOU. SWISSTACK SAYS FOR A COMMUNITY OUR SIZE, THE JAIL'S POPULATION SHOULD BE AROUND 15-HUNDRED. WITH ALL THE PROGRESS M-D-C HAS MADE, HE BELIEVES THAT NUMBER IS NOW WITHIN

MDC Population Down

For years, a Bernalillo County jail has been dealing with overcrowding, but the population is the lowest it’s been in a long time.